How Daddy Yankee's 'Gasolina' Fueled Reggaeton's Global Takeover

Daddy Yankee's original plan was to become a baseball player. When he was hit by a stray bullet, he turned to his other passion: music.

The Puerto Rican star ended up becoming an integral part of the creation and explosion of reggaeton, a Spanish-language genre that combines elements of dancehall and reggae with hip-hop. It was the 2004 smash hit 'Gasolina', from his album Barrio Fino, who helped bring reggaeton worldwide. It quickly broke the seal to become the most popular genre of music in the world and Daddy Yankee became one of the most influential artists.

“Gasolina” was among many career highlights for Daddy Yankee, who went on to create decades of innovative, fresh and wildly popular music for every club and block party around the world. After announcing his retirement in 2022, he has since left the door open for a new crop of superstars including Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Ozuna. They continued to fuel the genre's global appeal while also paving the way for Daddy Yankee and his first uncompromising megahit.

In this week's episode The Rolling Stones 500 best songs, hosts Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos discuss “Gasolina.” With them Rolling rock colleague, Julissa Lopez, who wrote a 2022 cover for Yankee Daddy.

in 2004, Rolling rock released his list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Drawn from a massive vote involving artists, industry figures and critics, the list has been a source of discussion, inspiration and controversy for two decades. It is one of the most popular, influential and controversial features the magazine has ever done.

So we set out to make it even bigger, better and fresher. In 2021, we completely overhauled our 500 song listwith a whole new batch of voters from across the musical map. Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs takes a closer look at the entries on our list. Produced in partnership with iHeart, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs finds Brittany and Rob discussing a new song each week, delving into its history and impact with the help of a special guest — including fellow RS colleagues, producers and the artists themselves. It's our celebration of the best songs we've ever made — and a breakdown of what makes them so great.

Watch the latest episode above, at iHeartor wherever you get your podcasts and look for new episodes every Wednesday.